The Indravati river in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region witnessed severe flooding after heavy rain triggered by cyclonic storm ‘Arnab’ and the opening of gates of the Khatiguda and Muran dams in neighbouring Odisha.

At least one person died of drowning, said a senior official.

The flooding followed continuous heavy rain between September 23 and 26 under the influence of ‘Arnab’, which developed over the Bay of Bengal.

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By Sunday, around 6 am, the river reportedly crossed its danger mark of 8.3 metres by a wide margin, reaching a peak level of 12.39 metres causing severe waterlogging in low-lying areas. The water level has gradually started receding since, providing some relief to the administration and residents.

“Due to the incessant rainfall, the national highway has been cut off in districts like Bijapur and Sukma. Several buses on the Raipur-Jagdalpur national highway have got stranded because of the rains,” said an official.

Around half-a-dozen truck drivers and helpers stranded amid floodwaters near Sonarpal in the district on National Highway-30 were rescued by relief teams on Saturday. They had to climb on the roofs of their vehicle to save themselves from the gushing water.

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“Several villages in Bastar region across the seven districts have got cut off due to the rains,” said a government official from Jagdalpur.

As many as 1,215 people have so far been rescued from flooded and inaccessible areas by the district administration, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and disaster management teams.

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On Sunday, 225 people were rescued from Kohkapal, 57 from Dongaghat, 85 from Housing Board and Bank Colony areas, and 21 from Durkiguda. Another 827 people were rescued over the preceding three days.

Rescue operation

Of those rescued, 16 civilians, including women and children, were airlifted by the Indian Air Force, while 1,203 people were brought to safety using boats.

The IAF operation was launched after information was received that 10-12 civilians were stranded in kutcha huts on the north bank of the Indravati near Dongaghat village. An IAF Central Air Command crew located the civilians gathered on the rooftop of a kutcha hut that was at risk of collapsing under the force of the floodwaters.

With limited time available, a Garud commando was lowered onto the fragile rooftop to assist the stranded civilians. They were then winched aboard the hovering helicopter, with all 12 rescued safely.

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The district administration has set up 65 relief camps, where more than 9,200 people are currently staying. Food, clean drinking water, medical facilities and essential supplies have been arranged at the camps in both urban and rural areas.

With the water level receding, administrative teams continue to monitor the situation, while health personnel remain deployed at the relief camps.